The Jake and Bull Mountain Trail System of the Chattahoochee National Forest weaves all around Booger Hollow, so Tom and I know the trails well. When you hike a trail year after year, in all seasons, you know exactly where you’ll see certain plants. On the Lance Creek Trail, I know there will be stonecrop at a certain … read more Great expectations
Tag: Booger Hollow
The really big pharmacy
To start our vacation – a week in Booger Hollow – we took the long way into the forest. Along country back roads and up Forest Service 58 – following Noontootla Creek as it splashes its way down the mountainside – one of the prettiest drives in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Swallowtail butterflies love this road, … read more The really big pharmacy
The red buckeyes: In the forest
October 20, 2013 I had finally figured out that the red buckeyes would never flourish in our dry, clay patch yard at home. So I carefully dug up the first one and put it into a pot to take to Booger Hollow. Its root had a funny kink, presumably from where I’d broken it as a seedling. I … read more The red buckeyes: In the forest
Secret garden
All along the road and trail, the ground was covered with black char. No green anywhere. So many of our drives and hikes in the Chattahoochee National Forest had been blighted by the sight of that fire. The U.S. Forest Service does annual prescribed burns in the Chattahoochee, and for many weeks afterwards hundreds of acres look barren … read more Secret garden
German frittata
I’ve got four hungry people to feed this morning and no omelette pan. What to do? If you’re Germanic like me, you make a frittata. It’s perfect for a group breakfast on a weekend trip because you can keep them all busy doing the prep work of chopping, grating and mixing. I love having guests for this reason. … read more German frittata
The secret life of trees
She was such a beauty, her many arms curved gracefully to the sky like a dancer. The loveliest tree in the yard at our cabin. Unlike some of the older, taller trees, our scarlet oak seemed very healthy: straight of trunk, and with no fungus or weak spots. I looked forward to many more years of … read more The secret life of trees
The plumber’s daughter
Most folks do not look forward to a discussion about septic tanks, I’m told. I do, though. We had a local construction guy, Chris, out to the cabin today, to look over our septic and water supply situation, and I anticipated it with a kind of glee. Toilets, gas lines, water lines, furnaces, AC, gray water, … read more The plumber’s daughter
Day 63: Shed this shed
I have a recurring fantasy that I own nothing except what fits in a camper small enough to be hauled by my Honda. And that fantasy is strongest when I have to clean and put away a few of the thousands of items that I own. Today I couldn’t put it off any longer: It was time … read more Day 63: Shed this shed
Day 62: What is it with the music?
I love music. It’s always been part of my life, from the time I would play with blocks while Mom listened to “The Classics Hour” on the radio. I love all kinds of music. Rap, country, jazz. Glenn Miller, Whitney Houston, Hozier. About the only thing I don’t like is techno, and even that has … read more Day 62: What is it with the music?
Day 61: Smooth ride on a rough road
The road to Booger Hollow is about as bad as any road I’ve been on, including in Africa. We’ve actually named some of the tougher spots: Grand Canyon, Little Grand Canyon, Big Rock, Jagged Culvert. Booger Hollow is a 40-acre patch of private land smack in the middle of a national forest, where we have … read more Day 61: Smooth ride on a rough road